Defects mar products of ordnance factories

BENGALURU: While soldiers are on high alert in battling terrorists along the borders, ordnance factories which supply their arms and equipment remain lax, churning out below - quality products which could result in failure and fatalities. Documents with TOI show that from missing safety sleeves in artillery ammunition at the Central Ammunition Depot, Pulgaon, Maharashtra, to 500 defective rifles supplied by Rifle Factory, Is hapore, West Bengal, there are serious quality concerns. In three years, 429 types of defence equipment worth Rs 449.4 crore, including 52 types of ammunition and 162 types of weapons, were sent back by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) due to quality issues. Experts say the ministry of defence, which controls quality assurance agencies like the DGQA, is unwilling to let go of its control and set up an independent board, as is the practice globally. Two former lieutenant generals, who served in quality assurance, and other officials said the department of defence production (DDP), which controls production and quality even interferes in DGQA's functioning. Leader Staff Side of the Joint Consultative Machinery of DGQA, MK Ravindra Pillai, said DDP's priority is to produce more, and it overlooks quality. “Four years ago, about 400-500 rifles from, Ishapore Rifle Factory were defective, and DGQA wanted rectification. However, DPP ensured they were cleared,“ he said. A September 15 DDP circular issued in connection with a pilot project to improve quality at six select ordnance factories - Badmal, Khamaria, Kanpur, Ambajhari, Medak, and Jabalpur - says DGQA will now carry out the final acceptance inspection. These pilot projects are to implement the Raman Puri Committee recommendations submitted in February. However, at least two panel members said: “The circular mainly deals with manpower issues and reducing DGQA's role. We made neither of these recommendations. The need is to introduce quality checks.“ Reports based on inspections show at least 225 fuses to be fitted with artillery shells were found defective and the DGQA recommended x-raying all such fuses in 2013. “A missing safety sleeve in the Fuze (fuse) 117 MK 20 was the cause of repeated accidents,“ the report reads, adding that as of 2016, over 1.4 lakh fuses are yet to be x-rayed. Also, the combustible cartridge case used by armoured regiments have defects separating them from the fighting compartment during firing, which can cause fire inside tanks. After inspecting 1,690 cartridges, DGQA found that ammunition still continues to be held in segregated condition, thus unusable.

In 2015, at least 21,359 cartridges (105mm) were found defective, and are now held in segregation. The quality of imported products is also poor. The Raman Puri Committee, for example, cited the case of Ordnance Factory Medak, where 23 defects were found in the gun mounts imported for the 30mm BMPs.Even imported barrels for the 84mm rocket launcher by the Gun and Shell Factory, Cossipore had problems. Several efforts to contact DDP secretary Ashok Kumar Gupta failed. His staff confirmed they had seen TOI's email, but said Gupta was busy to respond.